Immigration to the European Union has surged to historically high levels, reaching a total of 64.2 million foreign-born residents in 2025. This represents a dramatic climb from the 40 million recorded in 2010 and a year-over-year increase of 2.1 million people.
Number of individuals born outside their country of residence
(including those with unknown birth country) in the EU, 2010-2025
(including those with unknown birth country) in the EU, 2010-2025
(excluding Portugal due to missing data).
Number of immigrants in EU countries with the largest immigrant populations, 2010-2025.
In 2010, the foreign-born population represented approximately 9% of the total EU population; by 2025, that share has risen to 14.25%. This presence is characterized by heavy geographic concentration, particularly in nations like Germany,
where nearly 18 million foreign-born residents out of a total
population of 83.6 million bring the local percentage to approximately 21.5%.
Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on the "Global Compact for Safe, 
» The 2030 Agenda recognizes... migrant women, men and children... as agents of development. «
Population Division, UN DESA, New York, March 21, 2000.
Orderly and Regular Migration," A/RES/73/195, Marrakesh, Morocco, December 19, 2018.
This shift also carries a distinct demographic impact. While the median age of the broader EU population reached 44.9 years in early 2025, 72% of the foreign-born group in Germany is of working age, contrasting sharply with the aging domestic profile of the bloc. According to the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration, which utilizes Eurostat and UNHCR data, these figures demonstrate that migration is not just increasing in volume, but is fundamentally reshaping the labor and age structures of the Union's largest economies.
Immigrant Population in 2025 by EU country (% of total population).
The Geography of Concentration
A small number of countries handle the vast majority of arrivals and residency stocks. Germany continues to be the primary destination, hosting nearly 18 million foreign-born residents, of whom 72% are of working age. Meanwhile, Spain has emerged as the leader in recent growth, adding 700,000 residents in a single year—roughly one-third of the entire EU’s annual increase—bringing its total foreign-born population to 9.5 million (20%). While Germany and Spain account for nearly half of the total increase, smaller states like Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus are experiencing the most significant pressure relative to their population size.
Asylum applications follow a similarly concentrated pattern, with four nations receiving nearly three-quarters of all claims. Spain leads the applications with 141,000, drawing heavily from Latin America, followed by Italy with 127,000 and France with 116,000, both of which exhibit diverse source-country patterns. Germany received 113,000 applications, primarily from conflict-driven regions such as Syria and Afghanistan. While larger nations take the most applications in absolute terms, smaller countries often bear a greater burden relative to their population.
Socio-Economic Strain and the Housing Crisis
As migration reaches these new peaks, official data points to a severe mounting strain on living conditions across the bloc. In 2024, 8.2% of EU residents were considered overburdened by housing costs, spending at least 40% of their disposable income on rent or mortgages. The crisis is particularly acute for the youth, with nearly one in ten people aged 15 to 29 facing a similar housing cost burden. Furthermore, 16.9% of the population now lives in overcrowded households, and 9.2% are unable to adequately heat their homes.
Refugees as a Share of Total Population, 2025: Germany hosts the most (≈2.7 million), more than double Poland (≈1 million), followed by France (≈751,000), Spain (≈471,000), and Czechia (≈381,000). Italy (≈314,000), Austria (≈281,000), and the Netherlands (≈263,000), while most others have fewer than 200,000. Totals include refugees, people in refugee-like situations, and displaced persons from Ukraine under temporary protection.
Recently, European Council President Antonio Costa has emphasized that housing affordability is now "at the core of people's disillusionment with democratic institutions." Spot on, Mr. Costa... these economic pressures, combined with concerns over public security, services, and the cost of living, have fueled a rise in anti-immigration sentiment across EU member states. While the EU allocates approximately 2% of its seven-year budget to migration and 'border management,' the bulk of the financial and social costs are currently borne by individual national governments.
billion—more than twice the German federal government's total annual budget.
Most urgent EU priority instead: Drone production and another €90 billion 'loan' for Ukraine.Geopolitical Tensions and 'Defense' Realities
The migration narrative is inextricably linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The EU currently hosts approximately 4.35 million Ukrainian nationals, with Germany serving as the largest host at over one million people. However, the political climate is shifting as domestic hospitality begins to wane. Berlin and Kyiv are now coordinating efforts to facilitate the return of military-age Ukrainian men to their home country as losses mount at the front.
corruption, energy and food shortages: All ingredients in place for a perfect storm in the EU.
Moscow
has dismissed these security concerns as "nonsense," suggesting that EU governments are using the "threat narrative" to distract their
citizens from internal domestic failures and the growing complexities of
their deliberately fabricated migration crisis.
See also: